The Relationship Between User Interface and User Experience

More and more the battle for success online is being won by those websites that understand best the relationship between user interface (UI), and user experience (UX). Many people believe that UI equals UX, and vice versa. This is not entirely true. To understand the relationship between the two, it is important to get a simple explanation of what each represents.

User Interface

User interface is a part of the user experience. In short, it is the way that a user works within the system used by a service or product. For example, the user interface for an eCommerce site would be graphical elements of how the products are displayed, shopping cart elements including buttons and navigation, as well as checkout process form and its design.  User interface are the graphical part that falls under the general umbrella of user experience.

User Experience

User experience is easier to understand. In short, it is the experience a user when on a website, using an app or even when using a physical product. This includes things like the content on a page or in an app, load speeds, features, the presence of bugs, how a user interacts with the page, site as a whole or the app etc. User interface plays a huge role in the overall user experience, but they are not the same thing.

One Drives The Other

In general, the user interface design will have a strong impact on the user experience in ways that other elements do not. People do not like to be frustrated, even if the content of a page or features of an app are outstanding. They want to be able to access whatever it is they are after, and to be able to use it without a problem. If the user interface is full of bugs, moves slowly, requires multiple steps to get to the desired endpoint, or is otherwise unpleasant, it will drag down the overall user experience.

Optimizing UI Can Greatly Improve UX

The user experience is open to more subjectivity than user interface is. Generally speaking, either something is easy and enjoyable to use, or it isn’t. Optimizing user interface is a matter of testing and collecting and analyzing feedback in order to make the necessary changes and improvements. If the user interface is optimized, the user experience will climb as well.